


I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see

by medusa20



Series: The Galveston Chronicles [9]
Category: Big Bang Theory
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-09
Updated: 2011-09-09
Packaged: 2017-10-23 13:46:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/250967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/medusa20/pseuds/medusa20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sheldon comes 'home' to the university in Austin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see

 

 

Sheldon sits up straighter as Junior pulls into the circular drive to the large brick house that Sheldon considers home.  In the rose garden to the right of the drive, a small woman with close cropped gray hair is snipping roses. She puts them down when she sees the truck.

 

“Sheldon!” She cries, coming out of the garden with wide-spread arms.  Sheldon walks right up to her but doesn’t embrace her, though he is smiling more than Junior has ever seen him do.

 

“Dr. Ricks, how are you?”

 

“Sheldon, how many times have I told you to call me Gloria?”

 

“Forty-seven, including this time.”

 

Gloria ricks laughs then catches sight of Junior who has come around to the other side of the truck.  “Sheldon, is this your brother?”

 

Sheldon turns, “Dr. Gloria Ricks, this is my brother George Wendell Cooper, Junior.”

Junior whips off his baseball cap and extends his hand, “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

 

“What a handsome young man,” Gloria comments, “and so polite.  I told your mother when I spoke to her that she should be very proud of Sheldon. Not only is he brilliant, his manners are impeccable.  Sheldon and I often say he is positively Edwardian in his behavior.”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” Junior agrees. “We are all proud of Shelly, here.”

 

The screen door slams.  Sheldon’s head jerks around at the sound.  A large man with a white van dyke beard is standing on the steps.  Despite the heat, this man is dressed in long pants and a vest with a very flamboyant, very purple shirt under the vest.

 

“Professor!” Sheldon dashes over to the man on the stairs, unclasping his tan messenger bag as he runs to the man. “I came to the most amazing conclusion while I was in Galveston.”

 

Junior notes that Sheldon did not use the word “home”.  He watches his brother flip open a notebook and begin to speak animatedly to the professor.

 

“We only had daughters,” Gloria Ricks says quietly. “Not one of them interested in the sciences so Christopher truly enjoys having Sheldon around.  I think all men, no matter how liberated they claim to be, want a son.”

 

Sheldon is drawing figures in the air. The professor stands behind him staring intently at the invisible language the young man is creating and nodding.

 

“Will you stay for dinner?”  Gloria asks.

 

Junior jumps as if she shocked him so intent was his attention on Sheldon.

 

“No ma’am. Thank you, anyway.  I need to be heading back.”

 

She gives him a tight smile, clearly not believing him, “Of course.  But we’ll be seeing you all at Christmas.  I must say, Christopher and I are looking forward to having such a full house again.

 

Junior scuffs at the blacktop; Sheldon’s wheezing laugh reaches his ear highlighted by the professor’s rumbling chuckle.

 

“Dr. Ricks,” Junior finally meets her eyes. They are a clear blue, almost gray they are so light. “I don’t think we’ll be coming for the holidays.  We haven’t told Shelly yet.  You know how he takes things.”

 

The doctor’s brows draw together, “Are you sure, George?  I spoke to your mother right before the break and she was very excited.  She was planning on making pies.”

 

Junior looks at his brother again who is still talking to the professor, “Yes, well, things have changed since then.  I’m sure Momma will be callin’ in a few days to give her regrets.  Sheldon will take it hard at first but I’m sure you’ll be able to distract him.”

 

“Of course,” The doctor’s voice is soft.

 

“I’ll be on my way then.” Junior fishes in his pocket for his keys.  He places his hat back on his head, “Ma’am,” then walks to the driver’s side.

 

“George!” Gloria calls. “Aren’t you going to say goodbye to Sheldon?”

 

George gives a quick shake of his head and throws the car in gear.

 

Sheldon looks up from his equation on wave particles at the sound, “Junior?”  His brother’s truck is kicking up a cloud of dust as it heads down the road.

 

“Junior!” Sheldon screams, throwing the notebook to the ground and taking off after the truck.  “GEORGE!”

 

The truck stops short.  Sheldon catches up to it.

 

“You…you didn’t say goodbye,” Sheldon pants.  He wags an accusatory finger at his brother.

 

“Didn’t think you’d notice I left,” Junior gives him a hard look.

 

“Of course I would notice,” Sheldon scolds. “This truck has needed a new muffler for about two years now.  It practically breaks the sound barrier.”  He snorts a laugh.  Junior tries to remain stone-faced but a smile makes his lips twitch.

 

“You don’t like goodbyes, Shelly.”

 

“That is true,” Sheldon clasps his hands behind his back.  “However, I would be remiss if I did not thank you for the ride out here. Also, for helping me spend time with Penny and for being a better brother than I ever could.”

 

The driver’s side door swings out so suddenly that Sheldon has to jump back to avoid a direct hit.  Junior grabs him in a rib-crushing bear hug.

 

“Take care, Shelly.” Even Sheldon can tell there are tears in his brother’s eyes.  Junior releases him abruptly and gets back in the truck.  Sheldon stands in the road waving until he can’t see the tail lights anymore.  When he heads back to the house, Gloria is sitting on the porch swing.

 

“They aren’t coming for Christmas, are they?” Sheldon asks her.

 

“It would seem so, dear.”

 

Sheldon gives a stiff nod to her and enters the house.  His notebook lays forgotten on the steps, pages ruffling in the faint breeze.

 

X

 

After dinner, Sheldon goes back to his room.  His laundry is spinning happily downstairs, giving him thirty minutes to fill before he has to move it all to the dryer.  He sits at his desk.  All the materials he needs to lead a review on Monday are in order.  Even his quiz has been run off.

Sheldon drums his fingers on the desk top.  He then opens the two side drawers.  Out come his notecards, books and draft of his thesis.  His eyes flick to the clock - he can certainly generate ten notecards in this amount of time.  He begins reading an article by Stephen Hawking only to find that the words are jumbling together.

 

With a sigh, Sheldon puts all his academic materials away.  He heads for the bathroom to prepare to go to bed once he gets his laundry.  Brushing, flossing and secretly fretting that he doesn’t seem to possess more than a dusting of facial hair eat up a mere ten minutes.  Once he is clad in his Saturday pajamas and new red plaid robe, Sheldon walks back to his room.  He could watch TV with the Professor and his wife but the disappointment that his family will not be coming to Austin is still too fresh. Sheldon desperately wants company but the elderly couple downstairs cannot provide the solace he needs.  He climbs onto his bed to read his favorite Batman comic. In seconds, he’s closes the covers and tosses it on the nightstand.

 

“Drat!” Sheldon curses before going to his desk again.  He takes out a new yellow legal pad from the bottom drawer as well as a new pen filled with his favorite shade of black ink.

 

Sheldon clicks the pen and writes the date and time in the upper right hand corner.

 

 _Dear Penny_ … he begins.

 


End file.
